


Building Bridges

by teaandcharcoal



Series: Davekat Week 2017 [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, in a really short timescale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 09:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11871198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaandcharcoal/pseuds/teaandcharcoal
Summary: Karkat has been a knight in service of Alternia's princess for years when out of nowhere a man named Dave appears from a far off country. They're rivals from the first moment they meet. Then the princess sends them on a mission with some diplomat. And since HE can't speak Alternian, that means Karkat and Dave have to talk amongst themselves. Great.Written (late) for Davekat week 2017. Day 2 (August 7): AU/Trope Day. I picked medieval/fantasy because I'm weak like that.





	Building Bridges

This new recruit is going to be the death of you. There was only room for one obnoxious, talkative knight in this castle, and that was supposed to be you, dammit. And this guy, this “Dave” was so disgustingly smug about it all. Fucking Strider just went and… well, strode into the barracks like he owned the place, with his stupid brand-new armor and the stupid sword made just for him. All because his brother was the prince of some tiny-ass little kingdom no one gave a fuck about.

Well this wasn’t Tek’saas or whatever. This was fucking Alternia. It didn’t matter that he was stupidly attractive, or that between his looks and his skills and his accent everyone was fawning all over him. You’d been in this castle since you were seven years old. You’d been a page and a squire right fucking here, and you weren’t leaving the damn grounds.  

Until, of course, princess Feferi sent the two of you off on an important mission. Alone. No one but you, Dave fucking Strider, and this weird foreign diplomat who hadn’t said a word since he was entrusted to you. But that was fine. That was just fine. You didn’t have to talk to him. Didn’t have to talk to either of them. Really. You didn’t.

You make it until sunset. Then he takes for fucking ever to get the fire going. You shove him out of the way, strike your flint a few times and, poof, there it is. Problem solved, fire started, fuck you Strider.

“What the fuck is your deal?!” He hisses at you.

“Don’t want this guy to freeze to death.” You growl.

“It’s the middle of summer!”

“Maybe, but the snow might start flying by the time you got it going.”

“Seriously, dude, what is _wrong_ with you?”

The silent diplomat looked back and forth between the two of you a few times and then scurried back into the carriage.

“Look what you did!” You snap.

“What _I_ did?! I was just trying to do my fucking job!”

“No fucking way! You’re trying to fuck this up and make us both look like shit!”

Dave balked. “Where the hell did you get that idea?”

The carriage door opened again, and the diplomat came out, carrying a cedar chest about the size of a cat. You bristled at Dave, but you weren’t going to risk his stupid plan working by making you both look like dicks in front of this diplomat. So instead all three of you were silent.

The diplomat knelt between the two of you and opened the chest. Inside of it were dozens of small silver cylinders, each embossed with a different Dersite rune.

“Okay?” Dave said. “Any idea what he’s doing?”

“Who knows? I mean, this guy is supposed to be a peacekeeping genius, but it’s not like they let me sit at the negotiating table.”  

“Ah!” The diplomat said. He rummaged through the chest and then pulled out a scroll, gently handing it to you.

You open it and hold it at an angle where you and Dave can both see it.

“To whom it may concern,” the scroll read. “As you may know, I do not speak your tongue. However, over my years as a vagabond, I have learned that one of the most effective ways to help individuals resolve their differences is by having them create something together. As such, I have brought these trinkets. Together, we shall build something – what it is does not matter – and while doing so we will speak, hopefully finding a solution that can be pleasing to all.”

“What the fuck?” you say. “This has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever- Dave, what are you doing?”

He had taken one of the small silver pieces and was now pinching it carefully between two fingers. “Playing along.”

“Why?”

“If nothing else, it’ll kill time. Like, y’all play with blocks as kids up here?”

“Of course we do,” You snatch one of your own pieces “And I bet I could make a tower out of these way more impressive than anything you can do.”

Dave frowns. “We’re playing with upgraded baby toys because a guy we can’t talk to thinks it would be a good idea for some reason. Why do you have to make this a competition?”

“Fine, we don’t have to ‘compete’ if it bugs you so much. But I’ll just be over here, building my little castle. You can draw your own conclusions about it when we’re done.”

“Come on, Karkat, why are you always like this? Lighten up.”

“No.”

Dave stops and just looks at you for a moment. You ignore him. You want all the best pieces for your tower. The diplomat takes a few for himself and starts to make a few smaller buildings between the two towers. Then Dave sighs.

“You know what? I give up.”

“Finally admitting I win?” you ask, smirking.

“Win _what?_ I’m just giving up on trying to figure out what the fuck I did.” He takes a deep breath. “Why do you hate me, Karkat?”

The earnestness of the question makes you blush and turn away. “Maybe I just don’t like smug assholes who think they’re better than me.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “You think I think what?”

“Oh come on, look at you. Look at how you’ve acted every damn day since you rolled up!”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, don’t give me that line. Maybe manners are something else in Tek’saas or whatever your stupid country’s name is-“

“Hey!”

“-But here in Alternia, challenging guys to jousts and sparring and making sure you compete in every tournament they do sends a strong fucking message!”

“I just wanted to impress you!” Dave’s snarl quickly fades and he blinks, as though surprised by his own outburst. He scrambles for a few more cylinders and focused intently on adding to his tower.

“Why?” You ask.

“Why? You’re only the most respected knight in the whole country! Karkat, you should hear the way everyone else talks about you. All the people you’ve saved, all the battles you won. And all that as new blood, with your dad just marrying up to nobility from nothing.”

You feel your cheeks start to heat up, and you’re forced to look away. “Really?”

“Yeah. And when I was getting prepped for my position over here, I got all worried and worked up, and then I actually got here and I found out you’re only a couple months older than me, and that you’re super hot, and that we’re gonna be working together, and then it turned out you seemed to hate me for no reason!”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh.’” Dave closes his eyes tightly. Almost nothing had ruffled this guy’s feathers for almost a year, and now it looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

“Are you… are you okay?” you ask.

“Fine! Just fine.” He takes a big handful of pieces and keeps building.

You look at your tower, look at his, and finally look between them, at the small, squat structures the diplomat had been building between them. You scoot over a little bit, and help flesh the town out more, building little barns and cottages up towards Dave’s castle.

“If it makes you feel better,” you say. “I was kind of trying to impress you too. I mean, my grandfather had a tiny farm a few miles from the city. Yours was a king. And when I saw you breeze in here with your weapons and your clothes and your stupid handsome face and… and everything. And then you started getting on with the rest of the men, and with the royal family. I thought you were trying to replace me.”

“Seriously? Man, I could never. You should hear the way feferi talks about you. She practically thinks your shit smells like roses.”

“No way.”

“She does! But hey, do you… Do you wanna start over?”

You smile. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

“Hey, Sir Vantas. I’m Sir Strider. You seem like a pretty cool guy. Wanna be friends?”

“Friends is good.” You smile at him. He lets out a massive sign of relief. Wow... was he really that worried?

You start building in silence again, though this time it’s a much more comfortable one. But there’s one thing playing over and over in your head, one question you still want answered. It might be a risk, especially since you just made up with him, but…

“Hey, Dave?”

“Yeah?

“Did you mean it when you thought I was attractive?”

He smiles. “That depends, you mean it when you said my stupid face was handsome?”

You swallow. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

“Well then, damn right you’re hot. But just… baby steps first, right?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Maybe on the way back. I mean, we could talk more if nothing else. It’s not like this guy is gonna tell anybody.”

The diplomat beams proudly. You’re not sure if he understood what you said, or if he just responded to your tone and the way you gestured to him. He gives no sign either way and just keeps building. That night, the three of you make a town to be proud of.


End file.
